EU raids rail freight companies out of antitrust concerns

08:52, March 11, 2011

The European Commission said Thursday it has started unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the rail freight sector and related industry out of antitrust concerns.

The raids began Tuesday, targeting several companies in the Baltics, the European Union's antitrust watchdog said in a statement.

The commission added that it had reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and the abuse of a dominant market position.

As a usual practice, the commission did not disclose the names of the companies.

Under EU rules, unannounced inspections are a preliminary step in the investigation of suspected anticompetitive practices.